Best Gaming PCs for 2019: Build A High-End Desktop PC for Gaming

Need the best gaming PC for 2019? This guide gives you five of the best gaming computer builds and pre-built gaming PC options at a variety of price points.

With modern PC games advancing at such a rapid rate, there is no surprise that there are multiple games that have been released that most standard cookie-cutter computers (cheap pre-built systems) can barely handle. And, as PC gamers we like to have and experience the best… We like to play our games on the highest settings possible, with the highest framerate possible.

Fortunately, in this day and age, even a budget gaming PC build will allow you to play most games on higher settings on an affordable 1080p monitor. (Although, in this guide, we’ll be talking about high-end gaming computers, rather than budget-friendly systems.)

This is especially true when you take it upon yourself to build your own custom gaming desktop, which will ultimately save you a ton of money on the markup prices that you would’ve paid for a prebuilt gaming computer (like an Alienware or Cyber Power PC system) or a high-end gaming laptop.

The good news is that building a computer is a very doable thing for just about anyone. Seriously… if you can operate a screwdriver and read, then I’m pretty confident that you can build your own PC.

In this guide, we’ve given you part lists for the most powerful gaming PC builds at five different price ranges. We’ve also linked to similarly-priced high-end pre-built gaming computers as well so that if you don’t want to build your own desktop, you can go the pre-built route as well. These pre-built systems won’t offer quite the same performance as if you were to build a computer for the same amount of money. However, they should still give you a fairly high-end experience.

Quick-Look: Our Top Picks for the Best Gaming PC Builds

For those of you who just want to get right into ordering the parts for your system, I’ve put together five different pre-made part lists ($1,000, $1,250, $1,500, $1,750, & $2,000) so that you can bypass the component selection process and get right into building your new high-end, self-built gaming PC for 2019.

These part lists are updated with the top components at the best prices on a regular basis. So, if you’re looking at these builds you can bet they’ll give you maximum performance for the budget you’ve set. And, if you’re looking for a similarly priced pre-built gaming computer, just click on the “PRE-BUILT »” link to check out an alternative desktop option.

*Note: As all of these PC builds come with high-end NVIDIA graphics cards, make sure you pair them with a solid G-Sync monitor in order to take full advantage of the power they offer.

*These components are updated about once per week. If the lists contain components that are out-of-stock or if the price is higher than listed, either search for similar replacement components or use the comment form below to ask for advice on alternative options.

Elite $2,000 Gaming Desktop Build

So you’ve decided to go all out… You’re not spending a dime under $2,000 on computer parts for your new ridiculously awesome computer build. Alright… that’s cool…

I guess some people just have to have the best!

Fortunately, for $2,000 you can really max out your build. You can run a high-end video card. You can utilize a processor with eight cores and threads (which will really help you with stuff like video rendering and image editing.) And, you can leave yourself with a ton of options for upgrading in the future.

This is a high-end 4K gaming computer that can easily handle virtual reality games with the Oculus Rift headset and can serve as a powerful workstation as well. Also, if you’re going to drop this much on a PC, be sure to pair it with some high-end peripherals as well, like a solid computer gaming chair, a G-Sync monitor, and a nice-sounding PC gaming headset.

This build comes with an Intel Core i7-9700K processor, an RTX 2080 graphics card, and 16GB of RAM. The combination of the RTX 2080 and the i7-9700K CPU will be more than powerful enough to have you maxing out games on a 4K monitor or a 1440P 144Hz monitor.

This system also comes with a 500GB NVME SSD, a 4TB hard drive, and an 850W Platinum power supply. And, while there are a wide option of computer cases that would be able to accommodate this part list, we’ve included the Thermaltake Core X71 for its large size, tempered glass side panel, and its above-average air flow. You can check out our guide on the best full tower cases for more options.

Ultimately, this gaming PC build will be able to handle anything you throw at it; both now and in the years to come.

*If you’re not sure whether to get a laptop or a desktop, you might also want to check out our guide on the Best RTX 2080 Laptops to see what kind of high-end laptop options you have.

Grand Total: $1,970-$2,030

**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.

$1,750 RTX 2080 Gaming PC Build

For $1,750 the sky is the limit in terms of performance. Seriously, with a RTX 2080 this build is ready to push games on a 4K monitor…

$1,750 will also give you plenty of other options as well.

For instance, if you’re planning on doing some system tuning, this kind of budget will allow you to hit some decent overclocks. And, it’s definitely a VR-ready PC build (Oculus Rift or HTC Vive).

Along with the RTX 2080 graphics card, this build also comes with an Intel Core i7-9700K, a high-end CPU cooler, and a 650W Gold power supply. You will also get a 256GB SSD, a secondary 1TB hard drive, and 16GB of RAM. While 16GB of memory won’t be used in most games, newer games are starting to utilize over 8GB of RAM and so the extra memory will ensure that you have enough to meet their demands.

This PC build is powerful enough to handle any game on max settings on a 1080P monitor. But, if you are going to go with this build, you’d be better off pairing it with a 1080P 144Hz monitor, a 1440P 144Hz monitor, or a 4K monitor. Because, this system will be overkill for a standard 1080P 60Hz monitor.

And, if you don’t want to build this PC, the pre-built system we’ve linked to below will serve as a nice alternative.

Grand Total: $1,720-$1,780

**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.

High-End $1,500 Gaming Computer

For $1,500 you’re getting a very similar build to our $1,250 build. The only difference? You get a better CPU!

While the Intel Core i7-9700K in this build won’t give you a significant performance increase in games over the Ryzen 5 2600X found in the $1,250 build below, it is a better overall processor that should give you a small bump in FPS while gaming and will serve you better for non-gaming tasks as well.

This system also comes with an RTX 2070 video card, 16GB of DDR4 memory, a 256GB SSD, a secondary 1TB hard drive, and a 650W power supply.

Ultimately, this build is capable of maxing out anything on a 2560×1440 monitor, handling pretty much anything on a 4K monitor, will work well with a 1080P 144Hz monitor, and will allow you to play VR games with the Oculus Rift. It has plenty of storage for your needs and it has enough space to allow you to upgrade in the future as well.

The following is a list of components that will help you build the best computer for gaming under $1,500:

Grand Total: $1,470-$1,530

**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.

4K/VR Monster $1,250 Gaming PC

With a budget of $1,250 or more, you can expect to get a truly awesome custom gaming desktop.

At this price range, you will be able to put together a machine that will be able to handle games on 1080P 144Hz monitors. It will also serve as a 4K gaming PC as well.

However, playing on the highest settings is just one of the many benefits you will receive when you drop $1,250 on parts for a custom gaming computer.

You can also expect your computer to stay relevant for a long time and you can be sure that you have high-quality components all throughout your build. That means along with a great processor and excellent video card, you will also get a high-end motherboard and a well-built power supply.

And, this system easily meets the Oculus Rift requirements so it is definitely a VR-ready PC.

While this system doesn’t quite have the same power that the $2,000 and $1,750 builds listed above have, the combination of parts will still give you a ton of performance right now and well into the future as well.

Grand Total: $1,220-$1,280

**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.

Balanced 1440P $1,000 Gaming PC

For $1,000 you can expect to put together a system that can max out any game on 2560×1440 resolution and is ready for VR gaming and the Oculus Rift headset. And, you can even expect a $1,000 gaming PC to handle 4K gaming just fine.

The $1,000 mark is the sweet spot for building your own computer, as $1,000 in components is enough to provide optimal in-game performance while still maintaining a reasonable budget.

Overall, this is the perfect gaming PC build for anyone who is looking to max out games on a 1080P 144Hz monitor, or even a higher 1440P resolution monitor, too. Again, this build should be able to handle games at 4K resolution as well. However, for more demanding games, at 4K resolution, you’ll have to turn down some settings in order to maintain a higher framerate.

*If you’re considering a gaming laptop as well as a desktop, check out our guide on the Best RTX 2070 Laptops, as they will offer a high-end gaming experience as well.

Grand Total: $970-$1,030

**The ‘Grand Total’ price includes the parts that make up the computer only. We’ve included Windows 10 in the list, but it does cost extra and you will need an operating system in order to boot your system up.

If you need help picking out parts for your build, leave your questions below!

Hi I purchased all the parts for the $1000 build except for the MSI B450 Tomahawk. It has a long lead time for shipping on amazon and was unavailable on newegg. Do you have an suggested alternative? I’m planning to use the build for gaming with oculus rift. Thanks

Hello. I’m working on the $1,500 build and had a question about the CPU. My rig will be used for gaming mostly. I’m currently using an i5 4690 and was wondering if the i5 9600k is a viable option. I’m open to an i7 but the 9600k is $200 cheaper than the 9700k where I am and I’m not sure if the 9700k is overkill just to use for gaming. If the i7 is the way to go, would 8700k be a good option vs 9700k? Thank you for your time, I love the layout and detail of your build lists.

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About Me

Hey, I’m Brent. I’ve been building computers and writing about building computers for a long time. I’m an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, too. On TechGuided.com and the Tech Guided YouTube channel, I review PC hardware, peripherals, and various tech products to help you find the right product for your needs. Have a question? Just leave one below on any of the posts on the site.